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R. A. SHANNON.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND CLASSIFYING CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-17,1920. 1,360,150.

Patented NOV. 23, 1920.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 17. I920. i 1,360, 150. Patented Nov. 23,1920.

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ATTORNEY I UNITED stares PATENT orrlce.

RICHARD A. SHANNON, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE", i THIRD T0 JOHN M. VARBLE, 0F FREEDOM, PENNSYLVANIA, ONE-THIRD T0 SHERIDAN E. SNYDER, OF NEW' BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING AND ULASSIFYING CARS.

Application filed April 17, 1920. Serial No. 374,667.

[0 all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, RICHARD A. SHANNON,

a citizen of the United-States, residing at I Philadelphia, in thecounty of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrical Apparatus for Controlling-and Classifying Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car handling means, and more particularly to means for controlling and classifying freight cars.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide simple and efiicient means whereby freight cars may be readily controlled and classified, and danger of wrecks due to one car running into another may be avoided. A

further object is to provide .means whereby the rate of travel of the cars upon a track, and their relative positions may be readily determined. A further object is to provide simple and efficient means for retarding the travel of any'car, selectively, upon the track. Further objects will-appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings I 'Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a car controlling means constructed .in accordance with my invention. J

Fig:- 2 'is a fragmentary side view of the track.

Fig. 3 is a detail of one" of theIcontrol I magnets and associated parts;

Fig. 4: is a detail of one of the contacts and associated'parts.

At present it is the practice in freight yards to classify the cars according to their contents by pushing the same down an incline or bump on to a main or ladder track with which a plurality of spurs com municate', men being stationed at each spur to direct the car on to the proper spur or side track. It frequently happens that a car simple and efficient means whereby the travel of the cars upon the main or ladder track and the spurs may be observed and readily 1 controlled so as'to eliminate danger of these wrecks. In Fig. 2 of the drawing I have shown a track having an approach 1 from which extends an incline 2 leading to the main or ladder track Spurs 4, 5, 6, and 7 communicate with this main track in the knownmanner.

A control board 8 is placed in any suitable,

position, and this board is provided with a plurality of rows 3, 4 5*, G and 7 of electric lights 9, these rows corresponding to the main track and the spurs. The lights of the upper row 3? have one side connected by a wire 10 to a battery 11, or other suitable source of supply of electrical energy, the other side of which is connected by a wire 12-to one rail 13 of track 3. The other side of eachlight is connected by a wire l t to a resilient contact member 15 which is positioned adjacent to the inner face of the tread of rail 13, this contact being so placed as to contact with the flange of a wheel 16 of a car traveling upon the track. As will'be understood, there is a plurality of these con tacts disposed in spaced relation to the rail along the track, and these contacts serve to successivelyilluminate the lights 9 so as to indicate the-rate of travel and the positionof a car upon the track. At intervals along the track, I provide electro-magnets 17, the casing of each of these magnets being of soft iron and positioned adjacent to the rail of the track and shaped to receive the flange of a car wheel 16traveling upon the track. One side of the coils of each of these magnets is connectedjby a wire 18 to the j aw 19 of a control switch mounted upon the board 8, the blade of this switch being connected by a 7 wire 20 to one side of an electric battery 21 the other side of which is connected by a wire 22 to the other side of the coils of the magnet. The switches for the different electromagnets are mounted upon the board in the same relation to the lights 9 as the electromagnets bear to the contacts 15. As will be fore the board 8 can readily follow the travel of a car upon the track 3. In the event that one car appears to be overtaking a car in advance of it, by throwing the switch immediately in advance of the lights illuminated by the rear car, he can readily check the travel readily understood, an operator standing be- 7 of this car so as to prevent it from running into the front car. In practice, the lights of the different series will be connected up to the spurs in the same manner as the lights of series 3 are connected to the main track, and the electro-magnets of thesespurs will also be connected to control switches upon.

the board 8 in the same manner as electromagnets 17 are connected. To avoid contusion the connections for the lights and electro-magnets of the spurs, and some of the lights and electro-magnets of the main track, have been omitted in F ig. 1 of the drawings, but it will be understood that these connections will be inserted in practice.

W hat I claim is: I

1. In car classifying means, a track, a con trol board, a series of lights arranged in a row on the board, a source of electrical energy having one side connected to one side of the lights and its other side connected to one of the rails of the track, a plurality of contacts mounted adjacent to said rail and adapted to contact with the wheels of a car traveling upon said track, said contacts be ing connected to the other side of the lights in order to indicate the position and rate of travel of the car, electro-magnets arranged adjacent to the rails of the track at'intervals, and control switches for; said'magnets arranged on the board in the same relation to the lights as the magnets bear to said contacts.

2. In-car classifying means, a track, a control board, a series of lights arranged in a row on the board, a source of" electrical energy having one side connected to one side of the lights and its other side connected to one of the rails of the track, a plurality of contacts mounted adjacent said rail and adapted to contact with the wheels of a car traveling upon said track, said contacts being connected to the other side of the lights in order to indicate the position and rate of travel of the car, electro-magnets arranged adjacent the rails of the track at intervals and adapted to receive the flange of the car wheels, and control switches for said magnets arranged on the board in the same relation to the lights as the magnets bear to said contacts. I

8. In car classifying means, a track, a control board, a horizontal row of lights mounted on the board, a source of electrical energy having one side connectedto one side of said lights, and its other side connected to one of the rails of the track, a plurality of contacts mounted adjacent to said rail and spaced apart longitudinally thereof, said contacts being adapted for contact with the wheels of a car traveling upon said track and being connected-to the other side of said lights to indicate the position and rate of travel of the car, electro-magnets positioned at intervals adjacent to the track rails and adapted to receive the flange of the car wheels, and control switches for the spective magnets mounted on the board and in the row of lights, the position of the switches relative to the lights corresponding to the relative positions of the contacts and magnets on the track. 7 V 4. In car classifying means, in combination with a main track and a ladder track, said main track including a portioninclined downwardly toward the ladder track, a control board, a series of rows of lights mounted on said board, a source of supply of electrical energy having one side connected to the lights and its other side connected to one rail of the main and ladder tracks,

spaced contacts positioned adjacent to the said rail and connected to the other side of the lights, electro-magnets positioned adjacent to the rails of the main and ladder tracks, and control switches for said magnets interposed in the rows of lights, the lights and switches of the difierent rows being connected to the contacts andmagnets i' the respective tracks and arranged in the same relation as said contacts and magnets, the rows of lights being arranged on the board in the same relation to each other as V RICHARD A. SHANNON, 

